Have You Heard

… the Green Turtle, hero of Chinatown? His origin story is the focus of Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew’sThe Shadow Hero. As the son of Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, Hank never really wanted to be a superhero. He enjoys working with his father in the family grocery store in Chinatown and always assumed that he would take over when his father died (many years in the future). That all changes when his mother is rescued from a bank robber by the Anchor of Justice. From that day forward, she dreams of her son becoming a superhero. Hank is a dutiful son, so he does his best. After a very rocky start, he eventually becomes the Green Turtle, possibly the first Asian American superhero.

This wryly funny graphic novel is set in California, shortly before World War II. Almost as interesting as the Green Turtle’s origin, however, is the origin of the story. The Green Turtle was also a character in a brief series of comics in the 1940s, put out by a little-known publisher called Rural Home. Because the hero’s face is almost never shown in full and the creator was Asian American, some people speculate that the Green Turtle was also Asian American but that the publisher refused to have a superhero who wasn’t white. In the original comics, every attempt to give the Green Turtle’s backstory gets interrupted, so Yang and Liew decided to give him one and bring back a little piece of Asian American comic book history.

… the horror novel that scared the living daylights out of Stephen King?

When I first read the author blurbs for The Troop by Nick Cutter, I wasn’t convinced that this book was as twisted and disgusting as everyone made it out to be.

Boy, was I wrong.

The reviews are legitimate. This is a horrifically disturbing, gruesome, shocking novel, like a death-defying roller coaster that you will only ride if someone dares you to. There’s not much to discuss in terms of plot, since the initial premise gives you a good idea of what’s about to transpire. A small group of fourteen-year-old scouts on an isolated weekend retreat. A man harboring a fatally destructive tapeworm inside his body. The man stumbles upon the group during their weekend outing…I think you can figure out where the story goes from there.

What amazed me about this book was how it rose above the stereotypical gross-out horror novel. In a gross-out novel, everything feels wooden and gratuitous, and after a while even the most die-hard reader can start to feel numbed and jaded. The Troop, however, combines complex characters with precise, evocative language and a shockingly realistic premise. Think Cabin Fever meets Lord of the Flies, if you remove the campy humor and increase the intensity tenfold.

I know there aren’t many readers who will want to stomach a book like this, but for seasoned horror fans, this is Grade-A terror at its finest. If you think you’ve got what it takes, go ahead and try reading The Troop. Go on. I dare you.

… the wonders of the human brain? Sam Kean brings us another great nonfiction book, The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery. While scientists can learn a lot about most of our bodies by studying other animals, some aspects of the human brain (and mind) are unique. For the most part, ethical researchers can’t just go poking around in someone’s skull to see what happens. So how did scientists learn what parts of the brain control speech, memory, emotion, and everything else that makes us who we are? They looked at the brains of people who had problems (injuries, illnesses, and so on) to see what was different from healthy brains.

As in his previous books, Sam Kean does an excellent job of making a very complex subject understandable. He moves from the basics of how neurons communicate with one another to the way neurons are grouped together and the ways different parts of the brain affect different things. Mr. Kean helps the reader relate to the incredible details of neuroscience by filling his book with the stories of the patients and scientists involved. From two of the earliest neurosurgeons investigating the brain of French king Henri II after he was injured in a joust to a pair of conjoined twins born in 2006 with a shared skull and linked brains, the study of the human brain is filled with fascinating people.

If you have ever wondered how you think or how your memory works or what makes you you, you’re not alone. To be honest, scientists still don’t have all of the answers. However, this book will help you understand the progress that has been made in figuring out the human brain.

Okay, a lot of horror novels are based around the idea that we are most afraid of what we can’t see, but Bird Box by Josh Malerman takes this idea to the extreme. According to news reports, there is something outside that is driving ordinary people to acts of extreme violence and suicide. The main theory is that these people are driven mad just by looking at whatever’s out there, but the only people who know what’s lurking outside are dead. Everyone else stays closed up in their houses, only braving the outdoors if they are securely blindfolded. And even then, something could be watching them. Something could be standing behind them, trying to follow them back in the house. NO ONE KNOWS.

Lured by the possibility of a safe, secure location twenty miles away, Malorie and her four-year-old children embark on a perilous journey downriver. They must remain blindfolded the entire time, but they must stay alert because the things that drove people to madness are still there, waiting in the woods.

The ENTIRE story is built around uncertainty, and since the characters are literally and metaphorically blind to what’s outside, the horror is created through noises, sounds, and little hints of unease. Technically, this would be considered apocalyptic horror, but the true genius lies in how the horror is created. And talk about a page turner…I literally finished this book in two hours.

The best horror is often simple and understated, and Bird Box is a masterful example.

… the family of cryptozoologists and some-time monster hunters? With Half-Off Ragnarok, Seanan McGuire’sInCryptid* series shifts focus to Verity’s brother Alexander Price. Officially, he’s working in the reptile house at the Columbus Zoo as a visiting specialist, trying to decide what to do about his interest in beautiful Australian Shelby Tanner who works with big cats. Unofficially, he is researching the wild fricken (feathered frog) population to find out how much longer it can stay hidden from normal humans and trying to keep his not-quite-girlfriend from learning about the cryptozoological side of his life. That second part becomes a lot more difficult when something or someone starts turning people to stone at the zoo.

Half-Off Ragnarok is a fun modern-day fantasy with plenty of action and romance. Although it is the third in a series, the shift in focal character means that you can start reading here without losing too much of the plot (although I highly recommend the previous books, too). Seanan McGuire’s attention to detail brings to life even minor characters, and she goes well beyond basic Greco-Roman mythology to bring in cryptids from around the world. Her quirky humor and believable blend of realism and the bizarre are also in full force, with characters that include an adorable miniature griffin and Alex’s assistant at the zoo, a Pliny’s gorgon who hides her snaky hair until elaborate wigs.

… the book that’s part compelling Scandinavian crime thriller, part creepy-as-hell ghost story?

In I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, it feels like you’re reading two completely separate story lines. The first follows a group of three friends who travel to the isolated town of Hesteyri to renovate an old house. Problem is, the house seems to be haunted. The second follows Freyr, a psychologist, who is brought into a compelling mystery that somehow connects with the disappearance of his son three years ago. But as the book progresses, the two plot lines begin to converge until they are inextricably woven together at the very end.

Even though this novel isn’t considered pure horror, it’s still one of the creepiest ghost stories I’ve ever read. The buildup of suspense is done very gradually (odd odors, wet footprints, creaking floors), but holy cow, is it ever effective. One night when I was in the middle of reading the book, I had to consciously force myself to turn the lights off because I was afraid of what was waiting just around the door frame. It’s been awhile since I’ve been spooked like that after reading a horror novel. And no gore. These are honest-to-God scares.

I spent several late nights with this novel, but it was worth every moment of sleep deprivation. Great suggestion for fans of Nordic suspense, good mysteries, or haunting ghost stories.

… the cat who brought together a neighborhood? In The Cat with Seven Names, Tony Johnston and Christine Davenier introduce us to a very social cat. He seems to be a stray as he goes to different houses and apartments begging for food. At each place, he is welcomed into people’s lives, but he doesn’t stay. He always comes back though, working his way into people’s hearts and earning a new name at each stop. Even though they all live close to one another, none of the cat’s new friends know the others until a near disaster brings them all together.

This is a sweet story about making connections with the people around you. Retirees and children, immigrants and long-time residents, well-to-do and homeless — they all feel isolated in some ways. The cat brings a little joy to their lives and also helps them connect with the other people around them.

… the blogging sensation that has been turned into a best-selling book? When I heard that Allie Brosh was publishing a print version of her award winning blog, Hyperbole and a Half, I quite literally jumped for joy. I don’t usually keep up with blogs, but her expressive cartooning and poignant topics make for an utterly hilarious combination.

I read through the book cover-to-cover, but some of my favorite chapters included “Why I’ll Never Be an Adult,” “The Party” (a re-enactment of the time she tried to convince her mom to let her go to a birthday party while doped up on Novocain), and “Depression Part 1 & 2” (a surprisingly relatable explanation of how depression affects people). Her stories range from inane to serious, but they are always told with a healthy dose of humor. In fact, after reading about many of her experiences, I’m starting to wonder if we are actually twins separated at birth. Her stories are that relatable.

If you’re looking for honest laughs and thought provoking insight, Hyperbole and a Half is superb.

… the real-life thriller that reads like a novel? I just got finished with Robert Scott’sThe Girl in the Leaves. This really crazy guy breaks into a house, kills three people and kidnaps the daughter. It has lots of twists and turns you don’t see coming.

There is a lot of good police work in this story. Every time you think you know what is going to happen, it doesn’t. The girl in the book is a very strong character. All the way through, you have to root for her. I liked it because she was strong. She never stopped believing she was going to be saved. The Girl in the Leaves keeps you on the edge of your seat. I like books like this, where you can’t put them down.

… what you can find behind the scenes in museums? Around the country, museums have far more items in their collections than they could ever display at one time. Harriet Baskas gives us a quick look at some of them in Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You. Each of the more than fifty chapters gives a quick overview of an institution, then describes an item that is not on display to the general public, with a photograph if possible. In some cases, the materials are displayed as part of special exhibits or were displayed in the past but have been put into storage, but everything in the book is not available as part of a permanent exhibit.

The museums vary greatly, from small, specialized institutions to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and divisions of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The reasons an item is not on display are equally broad. In some cases, size is a problem — either too small to be easily viewed (like a pin with President Truman’s face etched on the head) or too large to fit in a gallery (like a flying pig from a Pink Floyd concert). Other materials are too dangerous (like a notebook of research in battery development, complete with chemical samples) or too fragile (like Neil Armstrong’s space suit). Some items are no longer available to the museum; they were stolen from the institution or returned to someone with a legitimate claim. Still others are restricted due to controversies, real or potential, about religious symbolism, nudity, cultural insensitivity, or other concerns. In some cases, a museum simply has more than it can display at one time, and staff must make decisions about what is on permanent display and what is kept in storage.

Whatever the reason, these items are fascinating, and we are lucky to learn more about them. The next time you’re in a museum, admire what is on display, but also think about all of the treasures that might be hidden in offices, back rooms, and storage facilities.